Cost gf Sugar Production in B.Guiana. 119 



of tillage in Berbice is rather less than in Demerara, 

 and this is mainly owing to the fa6l that canes are 

 burned before cutting, thus getting rid of most of the 

 trash, saving relieving and burying of trash later on. If 

 trash can be buried in dry weather, immediately after the 

 canes are cut, it is of great benefit to the soil, but it 

 cannot be of much value if buried after lying exposed for 

 months. No ill effe6ts appear to result from the system 

 of burning adopted in Berbice, and at times it mustdogood 

 by destroying inse6ls, &c. This year I have seen exten- 

 sive damage done to young canes by the borer in Deme- 

 rara, but little if any has been noticed in Berbice. Canes 

 in fields liable to be over-run with Bahama grass should 

 not be burned, as this grass grows very rapidly where the 

 ground is clear. Sufficient advantage is not generally 

 taken on most estates of the opportunity that exists for 

 resting land. On nearly every estate there is enough 

 land lying fallow to allow of the whole of the older culti- 

 vated land being rested in rotation, and May and June 

 plants should be established whenever possible on new 

 or rested land. If this were done a better average yield of 

 sugar would be obtained and the cost of weeding would 

 probably be less. On many estates land that is known 

 to be rarely remunerative is kept in cultivation. It 

 requires a heavy outlay on tillage and gives generally a 

 poor yield. In such c^ses if other and better land is not 

 available, it is well to reduce the area under cultivation by 

 abandoning poor land. A small highly cultivated acreage, 

 within certain limits, will always give better paying 

 crops than a large acreage not thoroughly tilled or 

 attended to. If steam husbandry could be adopted in 

 conne6tion with our system of open drainage it would 



